This game is just way to hard...

[Doo]

A standard rotation on any of the DPS classes contains more variation and skill than anything in FFXI.

You never deviate from your standard rotation much. Skillchains you have to figure out what elemental weakness the mob has and know what element your dds skillchain creates to burst for more damage. Rotations is a solo deal while skillchains can involve your entire party so timing is needed between your party members. Spamming the same rotation over and over isn't complex. The skillful part of FFXIV comes from the terrible dodging mechanics, the bad camera angles, and gimmicks. What do you think players have the most trouble with in this game? Dodging why is that? Even though they have done the fight many times before over and over.

[StubHub]

The skillful part of FFXIV comes from the terrible dodging mechanics, the bad camera angles, and gimmicks. What do you think players have the most trouble with in this game? Dodging why is that? Even though they have done the fight many times before over and over.

Dodging is only the elementary, and very basic skill in FFXIV. It's what people do around the dodging that leaves a wide margin of skill. People can dodge, and still perform poorly. You claim that there's not much deviation from ones standard rotation, and while that may be true in a bubble. The ability to maintain what you do around all the dodging is where skillfull play really comes in.

This game may not be the most difficult, but XI is certainly not the dog you want to pit against XIV. And mentioning skill chains as a comparison of skill should be insulting to anyone who's played both XI and XIV excessively.

[Doo]

The ability to maintain what you do around all the dodging is where skillfull play really comes in.

I agree with this. Rotations itself are not complex. It's just spamming a couple of skills in order. Skillful play is just pretty much memorization though that's why I'm willing to bet that most of the players that beat hard content watched videos. Everyone pretty much uses the same exact tactics on every fight.

And mentioning skill chains as a comparison of skill should be insulting to anyone who's played both XI and XIV excessively.

It wasn't a comparison of skills rather more diverse and complex.

FF11 wasn't any harder than ff14 but the battle mechanics were more intuitive and diverse and it doesn't lock parties to mechanics that's doesn't make sense which takes away some fun from battles. FF14 needs to be less dependant on the AoE lines...feels too scripted. Instances (too many) prevent a lot of diversity from happening...

Yes, FFXIV you're pretty much locked into one style of play and one way of gearing. Everyone pretty much does the exact same thing. Even when to use your abilities is pre-determined, pop all your cds here, use LB there.